Food & Drink
Willow Valley Communities: From Our Kitchen to Yours
From Our Kitchen to Yours is a series of educational and entertaining cooking videos featuring recipes from Willow Valley Communities’ professional chefs. With a total of nine different chefs, each having his or her own unique background, expertise, and style, the residents there are certainly in for a treat by learning new recipes and trying new dishes at home.
Of the many who call Lancaster home, senior adults have had to stay particularly careful and considerate of where they go, what activities they take part in, and whom they come into contact with during the pandemic. Getting groceries, exercising, and even going to church have all rapidly changed. However, it is still immensely important for senior adults to stay engaged, try new things, and enjoy life to their maximum potential.
Willow Valley Communities is a premier senior living community right here in Lancaster County. Encompassing two inviting campuses spanning 210 acres, Willow Valley Communities offers a multitude of living options for folks from all around the country. Residents of Willow Valley Communities are used to a “life lived forward” mindset with many award-winning amenities, entertainment, and hundreds of clubs and programs to participate in. Since many facets of this daily life have shifted during the pandemic, Willow Valley Communities is working to bring this familiar level of engagement directly to residents’ homes.
From Our Kitchen to Yours is a series of educational and entertaining cooking videos featuring recipes from Willow Valley Communities’ professional chefs. With a total of nine different chefs, each having his or her own unique background, expertise, and style, the residents there are certainly in for a treat by learning new recipes and trying new dishes at home. Every style – Cuban to Asian – is in the queue for residents to try for themselves. Broadcast on the community’s YouTube channel, residents have easy access to these cooking videos. A link to each month’s episode is also prominently displayed on the community’s website homepage for anyone to reference and watch again.
“These cooking videos go far beyond simple directions for a recipe, “said Cindy Sawicki, Manager of Marketing and Community Engagement. “One of the most gratifying aspects of this is that our residents are able to see the familiar chefs that they are missing so much during COVID-19. In turn, our chefs also have the opportunity to reconnect with the residents they haven’t been able to serve for a while.” Beyond choosing their favorite recipes to feature, the chefs are encouraged to engage personally with the residents, letting their individual personalities shine through during the recording of their videos. In addition to the regular cooking videos, Willow Valley Communities’ Fitness Team conducts live virtual workouts for residents on Facebook Live and YouTube. The community’s Resident Life and Wellness Team is broadcasting regular lectures and activities on their internal TV network for all residents to tune into.
To learn more about Willow Valley Communities’ current activities for residents, visit WillowValleyCommunities.org and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to stay up to date with all of their incredible content and stories. To see Willow Valley Communities for yourself, call 800.770.5445 to plan your visit.
